Coca-Cola has declared that it will continue its use of plastic bottles because consumers find it easy to carry and convenient to use.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bea Perez, the brand’s head of sustainability, told the BBC that customers like the drinks served in plastic bottles because they reseal and are lightweight.
She added that swapping only to aluminium and glass packaging could increase the firm’s carbon footprint.
While, she admitted the company recognised it now had to be “part of the solution,” it could not ditch plastic outright, as this could drive customers away and hamper sales.
“Business won’t be in business if we don’t accommodate consumers,” she said.
Currently, the soda company produces about three million tonnes of plastic packaging a year – equivalent to 200,000 bottles a minute.
‘Biggest 2019 polluter’
Coca-Cola was branded one of the biggest producers of plastic waste followed by Nestle and PepsiCo in a global audit in 2019 by the charity Break Free from Plastic.
However, the brand said it was committed to its sustainability goals, which include making all consumer packaging 100 percent recyclable by 2025, recycling as many plastic bottles as it uses by 2030, and using packaging that’s made of at least 50 percent recycled material by the end of the decade.
“So as we change our bottling infrastructure, move into recycling and innovate, we also have to show the consumer what the opportunities are. They will change with us,” said Ms Perez.
‘Shame on Coca-Cola!’
Coca-Cola’s stance on its use of plastic has left environmental campaigners fuming.
“Their continued reliance on single-use plastic packaging translates to pumping more throwaway plastic into the environment. Recycling is not going to solve this problem,” said charity member Von Hernandez.
Sian Sutherland, of A Plastic Planet campaign group, blasted the company stating: “Shame on Coca-Cola!
“Do they really think the public enjoy seeing beaches and landfills covered in plastic waste, killing marine life and degrading into toxic microplastics that are now in our food?
“People buy what they are sold and it is Coca-Cola’s job to sell them something different – toxic-free and nature safe.”
Julian Kirby, of Friends of the Earth, said: “As one of the most plastic-polluting companies in the world, Coca-Cola has a huge responsibility to ditch single-use bottles in favour of reusable alternatives.
“Making excuses will leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, including many of their customers.”
Do you think people should ban Coca-Cola? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Gordon Ramsay Ditches Vegan Hate and Backs Flora’s Plant-Based Butter in New ‘Skip the Cow’ Campaign
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 28th January 2025
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, once infamous for his digs at vegans, has taken a sharp turn in the kitchen. Ramsay has teamed up with Flora, the famous UK-based spread brand, as its global ambassador, marking a bold new chapter in Flora’s “Skip the Cow” campaign. Flora, established in 1964, has long been a household name …
The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 27th January 2025
Latin America is experiencing an extraordinary rise in plant-based dining options. A new study, spearheaded by Veganuary in partnership with the food discovery platform HappyCow, reveals that Latin America now boasts over 10,000 vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurants—an impressive 21.6% jump compared to last year. Brazil takes the crown as the number one country, with …
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All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. [wpViralQuiz id=27203]
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. [wpViralQuiz id=33494]
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. [wpViralQuiz id=31281] Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God